Inner tube



F. E. BESSLER.

INNER TUBE. APPLICATION F|LED AUG. I5. 192!- RENEWED MAY 8,1922- LM 4Patentedlune 11s, 1922.

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FRANK E. BESSLER, OE AKRON, OHIO.

INNER TUBE.

Specification of Letters Fatent.

Application filed August 15, 1921, Serial No. 492,316. Renewed May 8,1922. Serial No. 559,422.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK E. Bnssnnn, a citizen of the United States,residing at Akron, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, haveinvented a'new and useful Inner Tube, of which the following is aspecification.

The device forming the subject matter of this application is a tire ofthat general type in which an inflatable tube is replaced by a resilientframe, capable of transverse expansion, and the present invention aimsto provide novel means for securing an expansion of the frame and toprovide novel means whereby the frame may be held against contraction,after the frame has been expanded.

Within the scope of what is claimed, a mechanic may work changes withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings :-Figure 1 shows in transverse section, adevice constructed in accordance with the invention; "Figure 2 is atransverse section taken through one of the screws, Figure 3 is anelevation showing the means whereby the sections of the rings arejoined; Figure e is a sectional detail showing the mounting of the screwdepicted in Figure 3, Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view illustrating thering; Figure 6 is an elevation showing the gauge; Figure 7 is a plan ofthe gauge; Figure 8 is a plan showing a wrench which may be used inconnection with the device; and Figure 9 is a side elevation of thewrench.

In the drawings there appears .a wheel body comprising a felly 1carrying a rim 2 provided with a fixed side 3 and with a removable side4 held by clips 5 and bolts 6 on the felly 1. The numeral 7 marks acasing supported on the rim 2, and engaged against lateral movement bythe side members 3 and 4:.

Within the casing 7 is located an expansible metal frame which may bedenominated an inner tube since it exercises the functions of an innertube. The expansible frame may be variously constructed, but,preferably, it comprises transverse spring strips 8 secured as indicatedat 38 to oppositely disposed rings 10, the frame having freelongitudinal edges 28. A lining 9 is interposed between the frame abovedefined and the inner surface of the casing 7 'to the end that theeasing may not be worn or rusted by contact with the expansible frame.

The rings 10, and consequently the frame or inner tube above alluded to,may be made in sections, the sections of the rings 10 being denoted bythe numeral 11. Each section 11 is provided at its ends with inwardlyprojecting cars 12. Into the ear of one section, a screw 1a is threaded,the screw having a smooth reduced tip 15 journaled for rotation in arecess 16 on the ear of an adjoining section 11. It will be obvious thatby advancing the screws 14, the ends of the sections 11 may beseparated, and that, in this way, the expansible frame or inner tube maybe enlarged circumferentially, so as to fit properly within casingswhich are oversized, stretched or distorted.

Oppositely disposed screws 17 are fixed at their outer ends in the rings10. On the inner ends of each pair of screws 17, a rotatable member 18is mounted, the screws being oppositely threaded into the said member,and the latter having an opening 19 from which dirt or foreign matterwhich may happen to be lodged in the openings of the member 18 whichreceives the screws 17 will fall, when the member 18 is rotated and whenthe screws 17 are drawn toward each other to efiect a contraction of theframe. The rotatable member 18 is supplied with arms 20, adapted to beengaged in a slot 23 formed in a wrench 22. Through the instrumentalityof the wrench 22, the rotatable members 18 may be turned, therebydrawing the screws 17 toward each other and effecting a contraction ofthe frame. Similarly, the casing may be expanded. The distance betweenthe beads of the casing 7 may be measured through the instrumentality ofa U-shaped gauge 21, the casing being expanded until the beads of thecasing are so located with respect to each other that they will fitbetween the fixed side 3 and the removable side 4-. Referringparticularly to Figure 2 it will be noted that the arms 20 of therotatable member 18 are of such a length that when the casing is mountedon the rim 2, the rim will prevent the members 18 from rotating.Consequently, the expansible frame cannot expand or contractautomatically or accidentally after the casing has been placed on therim, a loosening of the frame, within the casing, being impossible.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is z 1. In a deviceof the class described, a casing; a transversely expansible frame in 3.A device of the class described, constructed as set forth in claim 1,and further characterized by the fact that the frame is composed of aplurality of sections; and thrust connectionsuniting the ends of thesections, to secure a circumferential expansion of the frame.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

FRANK E. BESSLER.

Witnesses M. F. HAMMAR, GRACE Tni'r'r,

